Boy, I enjoyed that. Wonderful worship time.
I was thinking at the breaking of bread how our Lord Jesus gave thanks. Remember, for the cup and the bread. In our family, it becomes sometimes so traditional to say table grace, you know. But that was not a table grace that He said when He gave thanks for the wine and the bread.
He was thanking His Father for the privilege. He knew all that that bread and wine meant, you know? And He was thanking Him. It’s just awesome—awesome.
Well, brothers, as we come again to look in this precious Book and to study the Bible, we can rejoice in that indispensable principle: that if we would come as little children, He would certainly dawn the Lord Jesus on our hearts. He does delight to do that.
In 2 Timothy 2:7, there’s this wonderful verse:
Consider what I say;
and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
In Isaiah, God promises that no word that goes forth out of His mouth will return void. You know that precious promise. But that Bible verse does not say that God has promised that every word that proceeds out of the mouth of Ed Miller would not return void. He didn’t promise that.
He promised that every word that proceeds out of His mouth would not return void. So I’ll be speaking, but so will He. And again, 2 Timothy 2:7:
Consider what I say;
and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
Let’s pray.
Father, we thank You again that we have this privilege to wait before You and trust Your Holy Spirit to put the light on our Lord Jesus and give us revelation of Him. We know when we see Him, we will be like Him.
And so we ask for nothing less than that again: that You would give us a heart knowledge of our Lord Jesus. Take us forward, we pray, in the knowledge of the Lord. We thank You for every part of Your Bible, in a special way this morning for John 4.
And we ask You, Lord, to minister to us. You speak. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Well, we come this morning to the second part of what I had on my heart to share. Not only that Christ will be in us a well springing up into everlasting life, delivering us forever from cisterns that need an external source and constantly run dry, and buckets that are always dipping into cisterns that need an external source and are constantly running dry, and ropes that are put on buckets that constantly dip into cisterns that need an external source and are constantly running dry—free from all of that because we have the Lord Jesus in us: a well of water springing up, His life replacing our life.
Now, in addition to that promise, I’m going to ask you to turn, please, to John 7, just to get these verses before your heart again—verses 37 to 39.
Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink.
He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water.
But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believed on Him were to receive: for the Spirit was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified.
And so we come to this second part: that He’s not only in me, a well bubbling up into everlasting life, but now raging rivers through us. A fountain within and rivers coming out. This is overflow. This is what we call ministry. This is what we call outreach.
The rivers bubble up. You’re not going to see the rivers going out until you’ve understood the fountain bubbling up. But once you’ve understood that it’s His life, not my life, then the rivers come out.
Now, I called attention in our introduction—or at least in an earlier study—to the word that was used here. It’s a very strong word: rivers. And it means torrents. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon says it’s the word for the greatest abundance. And then he says, “Floods. Torrents. Swollen torrents.”
And that’s what He’s promising here: a life that is filled to the brim and overflowing all of its banks at all times. I like what Luther said about this passage. He said, “It is not by spoonfuls, or through a pipe or tap, but gushing rivers.” And that’s exactly what He’s saying.
Now, it would have been a strong figure of speech if the Holy Spirit had moved from a bubbling fountain within to a single river. If He had just used one river, that would have been strong. But the Holy Spirit, in order to communicate what it’s like when the life of God flows out, made it plural: rivers of floods, gushing, overflowing torrents of water coming out.
And that’s the promise that He’s given to every believer.
I want to give a tiny illustration to drive it home. This is only an illustration. But the Holy Spirit doesn’t just choose certain words so we read them, “La, la, la.” He wants us to get the power of it.
And so I decided to look up some river. I’m not very good at that, because I don’t even know the rivers in the world. So I thought of the word Congo. I looked up the Congo River and found out that’s not the longest one, just the fifth largest river.
But anyway, for the fifth largest river, I read that it was three thousand miles long. That’s a pretty big river. And I read that, at its outlet into the Atlantic Ocean, it pours forth one million five hundred thousand cubic feet of water every second. And that’s more than two million tons a minute.
And that’s not at flood stage. That’s normal. And that’s just the fifth largest river. And the Holy Spirit said, “Rivers of living water.” That’s just a little picture of a river, and this is rivers.
And if you drink from the Lord Jesus, He has promised that He would be in you a fountain, and that out of your life would flow Congo rivers at flood stage of living water. We can’t begin to get to the heart of God—what He is promising—if we were to understand what He wants to do when His life replaces our life.
Now, that’s true of you right now if you’re trusting in the Lord Jesus, and that’s true of me right now. You might think, “Oh, I’ve never been a blessing to anybody. I look at my life with all of the defeats and failures and vacillations in my life, and just wonder if I could ever be a blessing to anybody.”
I promise you this, brothers: if this moment you’re trusting the Lord Jesus, whether you know it or not, this moment flooding from your life are rivers at flood stage—gushing forth rivers of living water to satisfy the thirsty world all around. That is the life of God.
Now, I know that’s too big for anything but faith. And we’ll always have to pray Mark 9:24:
I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
It’s so hard to believe something like that, and yet it is the truth of God.
Now, I want to meditate on that second part, that wonderful overflow. In a simple word, let me set before you just where we’re going with this.
Of course, our Lord Jesus is the Master Teacher, and He’s the living water, and He’s the soul winner. It wouldn’t be one hundred percent accurate, but I could say what we’re going to look at is principles of soul winning, or principles of mission, or principles of evangelism, principles of outreach—how to reach our neighbor, how to reach the world.
That’s one way that we could approach it. But first, I want to tell you in words I pray God will make too clear to be misunderstood, I want to tell you what I do not mean when I say I’m going to give principles of evangelism and principles of soul winning.
I am not saying that Jesus is the Master Soul Winner, and so we can observe Him—how He dealt with people—and get some insight, and then we’ll know how to deal with people. I’m not saying that. That is not what I’m saying.
I’m not saying He’s the model soul winner. He’s the master missionary. He’s the super evangelist, and so we’ll watch Him, and we’ll see how He did it, and then we’ll have those principles. Was He tactful? All right, then let’s make sure that we’re tactful. Did He use some point of contact? All right, let’s make sure we use some point of contact. Did He bring them to a decision? Then let’s bring people to a decision.
I’m not saying that. That is a million light years away from what I think is God’s heart, and certainly the burden that I want to share. That’s a common practice. It sounds spiritual: “Let’s study this and see how Jesus did it, and then copy Him.”
We’ve got to get away from the idea that Jesus did it first so I could do it second. He didn’t do it first so I could do it second. He did it once so I wouldn’t have to do it. He’s not my example; He’s my substitute. That’s a different direction altogether.
One application of that is the victory He had in the wilderness over Satan. How many times I see Christians that need victory over sin in their life. They say, “Oh, I’m going to study the temptation in the wilderness, and I’m going to see how Jesus had victory, and then I’ll know how to have victory.”
“Oh, I noticed that He fasted, so I’ve got to fast. Oh, I noticed that He quoted Scripture, so if I want victory, I’m going to have to quote Scripture. I noticed that He resisted the devil, so if I’m going to have victory, I’m going to have to copy that and resist the devil.”
No. He was your substitute when He was tempted, and He did that for you. And He did that for me. Not so I could do it second, but so I wouldn’t have to fight it. He’s the One that fought it for me.
And so I want to look at John 4 to see how Jesus dealt with the thirsty—not so we’ll know how to act, and what to say, and how to witness, and what to avoid. Not that.
Here’s the reality. When our Lord Jesus lived on this earth for thirty-three and a half years, He lived in the body which we call His incarnate body, that God gave Him through the Virgin Mary. And for thirty-three and a half years He lived in that body.
And in that body He was the living water. And in that body He ministered to the thirsty. It’s the same Jesus as we have been singing about. The only difference: He has a new body now.
He’s no longer living in the incarnate body that God gave Him through the Virgin Mary. It’s the same Jesus. He’s still alive, but He has a new body. And you know what His body is? You are His body. I am His body. We are the body of the Lord Jesus.
It’s no longer His incarnate body. It’s now His mystical body, the church. He is the soul winner. He is the missionary. He is the evangelist. He is the fountain. It’s His life that gushes out in rivers from your life.
There’s really no such thing as a missionary. You say, “Oh, so-and-so’s a missionary.” No, they’re not. A missionary channel? Okay, that’s all right, but that’s different. There’s only one missionary, and His name is Jesus.
And so the question is not, “Okay, now witnessing—how shall I do it?” No. Here’s the question: “How will He do it?”
And I’m suggesting the way He did it when He lived in His incarnate body is the same way He will do it now as He lives in His body, the church. But it’s not us getting principles so we’ll know how to reach the world. It’s not that at all.
It’s now observing the Lord Jesus and watching how He ministered when He was on the earth, and then knowing, “Now I can expect Him, in me, as I surrender to Him. He will meet again the thirsty. He will reach out. He will have the burden. He’s the soul winner. He weeps over Jerusalem. He’s the One that ministers.”
It’s just that He has a new body now. So this is not trying to teach us, “Oh, now we’re going to get five principles or ten principles, and then we’ll know how to witness to our neighbor.” No, this has to do with the life of God and His life flowing forth. It’s His life that flows forth, and He is the living water.
So may God help us as we look at these precious things.
Now, having said that by way of introduction, you hate to analyze these things, but for the sake of clarity—I know He’s given us analytical minds—I would like to share four principles. I hate that, but I don’t know what else to say.
Four ways that I can expect the Lord Jesus to repeat what He did when He lived on the earth in His own body.
All right, the first principle can be stated in these words: because the omniscient Christ lives in your heart, He knows where the thirsty are. See, you don’t, and I don’t, and He knows where they are.
And as I live in union with Christ, He will guide me to the thirsty. That’s what He did in His body, and that’s what He continues to do in His body.
Now, there are a couple of ways to look at this story. If you look at it with these eyes, you see one thing. If you look at it with these eyes, you see something else. You see behind the scenes.
Let’s start with these eyes. I’m just going to take the facts that we’ve already discussed. Jesus must needs pass through Samaria. Well, I tried to present that with these eyes before, and I said, “Why did He pass through Samaria?”
Well, here’s the behind-the-scenes answer. What Scofield said: God the Father had made an appointment in eternity past with God the Son. The appointment was to meet this woman at Sychar, at Jacob’s well, and God the Son was keeping the appointment that God the Father had made. And that’s why He must needs pass through.
You say, “Why did He sit by the well?” Well, the internal reason, behind the scenes, was that He knew that woman was going to come by. And that’s why He sat down by the well. That’s the deeper reason.
You say, “Well, why did He send His disciples away?” Well, see, we know the behind the scenes. He wanted to be alone with this woman and have a private conversation with her. That’s why He sent the disciples away.
Why did this woman come to the well? Well, we know why she came to the well: to meet Jesus. See, that’s the real reason. That’s why she came to the well.
And those things are gloriously true. He did keep the appointment His Father had made for Him. He did sit down because He knew she’d pass that way. He did send His disciples away so He could be alone and enter into a private conversation about living water. He did those things. She did come to meet Jesus.
But when you look with these eyes, it’s a different story. I speak as a fool, but it looks like chance. It looks like luck. And it looks like coincidence—like these things were just fortunate.
All right, let’s look with these eyes. Why did Jesus go through Samaria? You see, the physical answer is: it was the shortest route. That’s why He went. It’s the shortest route, and He didn’t have a prejudiced bone in His body, so it wasn’t a problem for Him. He just went the shortest route. That’s why He went there.
Why did He sit at the well? Well, look at John 4:6:
And Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
Why did He sit at the well? He was tired. That’s a simple reason. Don’t get spiritual. He was tired. He was weary, and He sat down by the well.
Why did the disciples leave? So He could be alone and have a private conversation? John 4:8 says:
For His disciples were gone away into the city to buy food.
That’s why they left. What could be more natural than this? He went that way because that’s the shortest route. He sat down because He was tired. They went away to buy bread.
Why did she come to the well? To meet Jesus? Yes, but not really. John 4:7:
There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water.
That’s why she came to the well. It was time for her to draw water.
You see, I don’t know where the thirsty are, and you don’t know where the thirsty are. And so what God is saying is this: here’s the principle. As I did in My body when I lived on the earth, I’ll do in My body now. Just live in union with Christ.
If you have to go somewhere, go. It’s logical. Take the shortest route. If you’re tired, rest. Sit down. That’s not hard to do. If you get hungry, go to the store. Get some food. That makes sense.
And if God wants you to be alone with someone, He’ll arrange it. And what I’m saying is, that’s how Jesus did it. He just used His body and worked all things behind the scenes. And all you have to do is live in union with Christ and do what you do. Just live.
And you’ll be amazed. The thirsty are going to come into your life. That’s how He did it then, and that’s how He does it now. He has just called you to live in an unbroken union with Him, and He will work behind the scenes and arrange all of these things so that His life can pour forth as rivers to this person.
Now, before I leave this particular truth, I want to call attention to one reality. The New Testament calls it “outside the camp.” And you know, as you go on with the Lord Jesus, more and more you’re going to be outside the theological camp, and outside the domestic camp, and outside the educational camp, and outside the social camp, and outside the ecclesiastical camp.
You’re just going to be outside the camp, and that’s just in the place of rejection. You’re not going to be popular where Jesus is unpopular.
Well, you know, there are all kinds of books and courses on soul winning. But if you take this course—letting Jesus do what Jesus does—I think you’re going to be outside the camp in evangelism. And people are going to look at you and say, “Oh, you know, I don’t think that’s the right way to do it. You ought to be doing this and this and this and this.”
I’m not going to name individual methods, but we can’t put the Lord Jesus in a box. Now, just take this story, for example. Do you think today any eyebrows would be raised if you said, “I want to copy Jesus. Jesus met with a woman all alone”?
All right, now, if I’m going to be a good soul winner, I already see Jay, though: “Don’t do that.” Is it wise or unwise for a male servant of the Lord to meet alone with a female servant? You see, the wisdom that comes across is, you know, that’s not exactly wise.
When I was a student at Columbia Bible College, we were warned against that in no uncertain terms: never meet a person of the opposite sex alone. Women meet with women, and men meet with men. It’s too dangerous a situation, and Satan will lay hold of that and destroy your life and your testimony. I’m sure that has happened many times.
Always bring with you an elder or a brother or a friend or something like that. Now, I am not encouraging you to meet alone with a woman. But I’m just saying, if Jesus is doing it in your life, you may at some time or other be in a place where it’s a little unorthodox what takes place.
Because it’s His life, and He’s the One that lives there. People might look at you and think you’re weird. You just live in fellowship with God, and He’ll guide you on that.
I went through the Bible one time. I always had to laugh at how I would lead people astray. I could just hear Elijah knocking at my door: “Ed, I need some advice.” “Yeah, come on in, come on in.”
“I was thinking of moving in with this widow and her son.” Say what? Haven’t you ever read 1 Thessalonians 5:22?
Abstain from every form of evil.
I would have given him bad advice. It’s like Nathan did the same thing. You know, David came and said, “I’ve got a burden. I want to build a temple for God.” And he just said, “Go ahead. God’s with you.”
And the Lord had to come back to Nathan, you remember, and he had to go back and say, “You know, I was wrong on that.” And so all I’m saying is, when Christ lives in you as the soul winner, I’m not suggesting you do crazy things. I’m just saying, submit to the Lord, and you might find yourself outside the camp.
I do like the idea here. I can see some real prudence and wisdom here: the story just before this was Nicodemus, and the Holy Spirit calls attention in John 3 that He met with him alone at night.
He met with this woman at high noon, in a public place, under the blaze of the noonday sun. I just think there’s some wisdom. I’m not saying God’s going to make you reckless. I’m just saying, when you allow the Lord to live in your life, you might not follow all the rules of soul winning that man hands down. Just submit to the Lord in terms of that.
God knows where the thirsty are, and He’s called you—He’s called me—to just live. Do what you do, and you watch God work behind the scenes. You’ll be amazed at the thirsty that He will bring into your path.
All right, there’s the second thing I observe here. When Christ lives in you as He lived when He was in His incarnate body, He will love the sinner with an unprejudiced love.
That’s one of the beauties of this story: this loving-hearted impartiality. He’ll not only live through you; He will love through you. John 4:7:
There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: and Jesus saith unto her, Give Me to drink.
You know, I’m so glad the Lord Jesus has promised to love through me. In the story, clearly, He describes the natural heart, and the natural heart, illustrated by the Jews and the Samaritans, is prejudiced to the core.
I know it sounds very spiritual to say, “I’m not prejudiced.” Don’t you trust that for a moment. You’ve got a naturally prejudiced heart, and I’ve got a naturally prejudiced heart.
You like those who like you and are like you. And I like those that like me and are like me. Those are the ones that I incline to. And if there’s a group of kids, I’m going to incline toward the cute kids, and the misbehaved kids, I’m not.
When Jesus lives in your heart, it’s His love that’s poured forth, and it’s an unprejudiced love.
I think it’s wonderful the way the Lord has arranged these stories. In John 3, He meets with this Pharisee, this respected religious leader, probably a member of the Sanhedrin. And in our story, He meets with this fallen woman. He’s not prejudiced, and He just meets with this woman with an unprejudiced heart.
And then, we’re not going to do it, but the next story, He’s going to heal the son of the Roman official. And royalty—that’s like the top stair in the social class. And this woman, she’s like on the bottom rung.
When Jesus loves through you, it doesn’t matter. When He lives in your heart, it’s Him loving through you. And as you’re conformed to Christ more and more, you’re going to have this loving-hearted impartiality.
2 Corinthians 5:16:
Wherefore we henceforth know no man after the flesh.
Whether they’re important in the eyes of the world or despised in the eyes of the world, if it depended on me, I’m going to mess up every time. I can try to be spiritual and tell you I’m spiritual, but I’ll run after the important people, and I’ll look for the endorsement.
In my natural heart, though I’ll deny it, I’m going to move toward the fat purse and the fat pocketbook and the celebrity and all that kind of thing.
It’s only the Lord Jesus who lives in my heart, and He pours out His life. Now it doesn’t matter if they’re rich or if they’re poor, if they’re tall or if they’re short, if they’re skinny or if they’re fat, if they’re repulsive or not, if they’re on drugs, if they live on the street. His heart is going to be poured out.
That’s how He did it then, and now as He lives in you, He’s going to continually conform you to Him, and there’ll be this unprejudiced heart.
He not only lives through me, He not only loves through me, but let me give this third principle: through me, He brings reality to the thirsty.
Let me read this wonderful passage, and I’m going to come back to it in another connection: John 16:8-11. Because this is also a soul-winning passage.
And He, when He is come, will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
of sin, because they believe not on Me;
of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and ye behold Me no more;
of judgment, because the prince of this world hath been judged.
Through us, He’s going to bring reality to the world. One of the first ways He does this is by convicting them of sin. That’s what He did to this woman.
You see the close connection between John 4:15 and 16. The woman said, “Sir, give me this water, so that I thirst not.” She asked for it. And the next thing He says is, “Go, call thy husband.”
Do you realize when she said, “Give me the water,” He gave it to her right then? And the first draught is conviction. That was her first sip of the living water. He was answering her prayer. He gave her the living water, but He brought this conviction.
God is faithful through me to bring people to that conviction. Now, I’m not omniscient, and you’re not omniscient, but you have in your heart an omniscient soul winner. I don’t know about their five husbands and their immoral relationship. Jesus did, and Jesus does.
We don’t know about that. If I try to bring conviction, I’m going to be like Job’s friends, and I’m just going to make them more self-righteous. My natural heart—I’m going to be judgmental. I’m going to be critical.
When the Lord Jesus lives in me, and it’s His life, then there’s going to be reality. You notice how God-centered He was? You know, she tried to change the topic there in John 4:19 and 20: “Bring your husband.” “Which mountain should we worship? Let’s get into a theological discussion.”
The way our Lord Jesus dealt with her when He was in His incarnate body is the way He deals now. John 4:21-24:
Woman, believe Me, the hour cometh, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall ye worship the Father.
Ye worship that which ye know not: we worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for such doth the Father seek to be His worshippers.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.
He did not give her theology. He pointed her to the reality of a spiritual relationship. In one moment here, He turns her eyes away from gorgeous vestments and priests and candles and stained glass and altars and temples and forms, and He said, “True worshipers must worship in spirit and truth.”
Now, I want to call attention to how John uses the word truth in the Gospel of John. It’s true here in John 4:23. It’s true in John 1:9: He’s the true light. And then John 1:17: grace and truth came.
You might be surprised to learn what is the opposite of truth the way John uses the word. You see, the opposite of up is down, and the opposite of in is out, and the opposite of white is black, and the opposite of hot is cold. And the opposite of truth is not false. That’s not how he uses the word.
If you looked up that word in any Bible dictionary, or thesaurus—or, not thesaurus, that’s the wrong word—the other word, concordance, you would find that that word means reality.
Grace and reality came through Jesus Christ. He is the reality, and there’s no reality apart from Jesus Christ. And the opposite of truth is unreality. That’s also false, but it’s unreality.
And I’m suggesting that Christ will not only live through you as you live—He’ll work behind the scenes—and a supernatural love will come out, so it won’t matter if they’re addicts or street people, or if they smell, or if they’re up or down, or whatever. It’s not going to matter. As His life, it’ll matter to you; it won’t matter to Him. And that’s why He’s got to do it.
And I am suggesting that He’s going to bring reality.
Now, what is the reality? Back to John 16. When the Holy Spirit comes in fullness, He says He will flow out and convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. What does that mean?
And I’m suggesting this is what it means. According to John 16:9, of sin, because they believe not. Those people out there that are so thirsty are unbelievers. And He says, when the Holy Spirit comes into your life, you are going to live by faith—the opposite of that.
And when you live by faith, they know nothing of that. They’re going to be convicted of unbelief.
Of righteousness, because I go to the Father. And you know, brothers, how we rejoice in what is ours in Christ. One of the things that is ours in Christ is not my righteousness; it’s His. It’s imputed righteousness.
The world knows nothing of that. All they know is unbelief, and they’re trying to be good. They only know their unrighteousness. And along comes one who’s filled with the Lord, and he’s not putting confidence in the flesh; he’s trusting in the Lord. Their eyes are opened, and their hearts are moved.
And then he says, “Ah, not my righteousness. No, no. I gave everything; everything’s loss, everything’s dung, that I might be found in Him, having a righteousness not my own.” When they see that—sin, righteousness, judgment.
Because the prince of this world is judged. In you, in me, they know nothing of victory over sin. They know nothing of victory over their passions, over their pride, over their lusts. They have no victory.
And along comes a Christian. He’s just knowing Jesus. He’s just enjoying the Lord, living by faith, the righteousness of Christ, having victory in his life over all this sin. And the thirsty come into his path, and they’re convicted of sin because they believe not.
And they’re convicted of righteousness because you’re talking about another righteousness. He’s ascended on high. And they’re convicted because now they finally see in somebody it’s possible to have victory over this addiction. It’s possible to be set free from this terrible bondage. It’s possible not to have the sin all the time.
Because they see in you somebody living by faith, resting in the righteousness of Christ, and knowing victory. And I’m suggesting that’s the living water, and that’s the reality that they’re looking for. They know nothing about that.
When Christ does it, He lives through you. You just live. When Christ does it, He loves through you. You just love. When Christ does it, there is this reality. You live by faith, you rest on the righteousness of Christ, you walk in the victory, and the thirsty respond to that.
I want to look at one final observation. How did He do it then? Because that’s how He does it now. He’s going to make my life redemptive, going to make your life redemptive.
John 4:6:
And Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
Brothers, don’t read that, “La, la, la.” You know, for years all that meant to me—His body was weary—all that meant to me was, “I now have a proof text for the humanity of Christ.”
You say, “How do you know He’s true man?” Well, look right here. His body got weary. He got hungry, He got thirsty, He got tired. Proof text for the humanity of Christ. That’s true. But, brothers, it’s far more wonderful than that.
He was soul winning here in John 4. And in order to soul win, He said, “At this point, for this thirsty woman, I am going to let My body get weary.”
He has a new body now. And sometimes He lets that body get weary, because it is in and through that weary body that He is going to minister to this thirsty person.
How many times has God allowed us in our lives to have some mutual experience that somebody else has had? Sometimes we get into financial difficulties, or domestic needs, or our health goes down, or some mutual sorrow. We’ve been bereaved; we’ve lost a loved one, or something like that.
Also mutual joy. It works the other way too. We can celebrate the birth of a baby, or a graduation, or a wedding, or something like that.
Now, we’ve got to keep in mind as we touch on this outreach: it is not—and may God teach us this. Consider what I say; God give you understanding—it is not me ministering for Jesus.
It is Christ ministering for Himself. It’s the Lord Jesus who is the minister. It’s not me. “Now, how am I going to do this? How am I going to serve the Lord? How am I going to minister?” It’s His life through me.
If I thought it was my life through Him, when my body got weary, I would get discouraged. And I would say, “Great day! Why, I could be serving Jesus. Why am I in this hospital? Why am I laid aside in this rest home? Why did I have to fall down and break my hip? Why am I being handicapped by having to care for this elder loved one?”
Because if it weren’t for this, if I were strong, I could get down to the business of soul winning.
No, that is soul winning when He lets His body get weak. You don’t have to get down to the business of it. You see, we have this idea that God’s work is on hold because I’m weak. His work is not on hold because you’re weak. That is the plan. That’s how He does it.
He wants to work through a weak instrument. And this idea that, “Boy, I’m going to really get busy for the Lord when I get out of this weakness”—that’s not how He did it then, and I’m suggesting that’s not how He does it now.
When He lived on the earth, He let His body get weak. That’s not a hindrance.
Now, someone would say, “Well, sometimes weakness gets in the way. This personality of mine, this temperament of mine, is God ever going to change that? You know, I just feel like, ‘Oh, I’m so shy,’ or, ‘I’m so melancholy,’ or, ‘I’ve got this thing. I’m always questioning, and I’m so critical.’ Is God going to change my personality? Is God going to change my temperament as I trust in the Lord?”
Listen, brothers, consider what I say. Lord, give me understanding. He is not going to change your temperament. I can’t find one place in this Bible that God will ever change your temperament.
If you’re pessimistic, He’s not going to change that. If you’re optimistic, He’s not going to change that. If you’re naturally enthusiastic, He’s not going to change that. But I’ll tell you what He has promised: He has promised to liberate your personality.
He’s promised to set you free so that others with a personality just like yours can see what Christ can do in a person with a temperament like yours.
He lets His body get weak so that He can liberate you and set you free, and the thirsty are all around you. He sits you down at the well, and you’re weak, but you’re you, and you’re who you are—but you’ve been set free by Christ.
And that is an attraction, and the life of God can reach that person. It’s a glorious way that He ministered when He was on the earth.
Now, I’m not only talking—I have been talking—about the individual. But you know this is bigger than that. And you know His body is not one little member of His body. It’s His church. It’s His church.
That’s why it’s rivers, because we need more than one person. I want you to glance at John 4:36.
And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal; that he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
For herein is the saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
I sent you to reap that whereon ye have not labored: others have labored, and ye are entered into their labor.
Now He changes the figure of speech. He’s not talking raging rivers at the moment, but sowing—seed sowing. He’s still talking mission. He’s talking evangelism.
And then He says to His disciples in John 4:38, “I’ve sent you to labor in a field you haven’t sown.”
Whose field was it? Who was the laborer? You say, “Well, from the record, clearly the woman was the sower. She went back and she shared where she had found Messiah, and then the Samaritans came up. Now the disciples, for a couple of days, are going to be dealing with this. It was her labor.”
Someone else said, “Well, no, no, not really, because John the Baptizer prepared the way, and it was his labor.” And so you say, “Well, maybe, but you know, the Samaritan woman mentioned that she had this Messianic hope. So the laborers were really the prophets who laid down this Messianic hope.”
And someone says, “No, no, no, no. Really, what Jesus was saying is, ‘Look, while you went in to buy bread, I was the sower, and I sowed seed in her heart.’” And someone said, “Well, not really. You know, two thousand years ago Jacob dug a well, and if it weren’t for that well, we probably wouldn’t have this story.”
It’s the body. It’s everybody. This idea that I’m going to deal with this soul—sit down and don’t think you’re the first one that has ever had an impact on that person. And don’t think you’re going to be the last one.
One sows and one reaps, and God gives the increase. You’re always sowing on somebody else’s field. We’re all sowers. We’re all reapers. It’s one body, and His life flows through the body. That’s how He did it then, and that’s how He does it now.
He just calls us to live, and He’ll work it out. He knows where the thirsty are. He just calls us to surrender to Him, and His love will fill your heart in an impartial way toward everybody. It’s Him that’s doing it. That’s what He’s called you to do. That’s what He’s called me to do.
I want to close with a picture. I’m sure you’re familiar with it, but I’m praying—I’ve already prayed this—that you’ll leave with this picture in your mind.
At first I wanted God to have you leave with the picture of the Samaritan woman in your mind, but then I felt like that wasn’t what God wants. There’s a picture in the Old Testament of everything that I’m saying now.
And I’m going to ask you to turn, please, to Ezekiel 47. Ezekiel 47. And I pray God will put this picture in your mind, and then we’ll close.
There’s a temple here. It’s a spiritual temple. This is the temple that answers God’s heart. This is the temple that God loves. This is the temple that is filled with His Spirit.
Ezekiel 47:1-2:
And he brought me back unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward, for the forefront of the house was toward the east: and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, on the south of the altar.
Then brought he me out by the way of the gate northward, and led me round by the way without unto the outer gate, by the way of the gate that looketh toward the east; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
That’s how this picture begins. If you read before this, you see this marvelous temple, and it’s just filled with the glory of the Lord. And then, all of a sudden, it starts with a trickle. Coming out from the temple is this little trickle of water.
And as you read the record, every quarter of a mile it gets deeper. You know, in Ezekiel 47:3, it’s up to the ankles. And then in verse 4, it’s to the knees. And then in verse 4 again, it’s to the loins.
And listen to verse 5:
Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass through: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.
And as it flowed, that river kept flowing and flowing, and everything it touched came to life. Listen to Ezekiel 47:12:
And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow every tree for food, whose leaf shall not wither, neither shall the fruit thereof fail: it shall bring forth new fruit every month, because the waters thereof issue out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for food, and the leaf thereof for healing.
As you read this record, this river comes out, starts with a trickle, gets deeper and deeper and deeper. And this is a supernatural river. Usually rivers get deeper because the rivers of nature are fed by tributaries.
In other words, there’s a mountain stream that comes down, and there’s a little brook and a rivulet, and then another river comes in, and it gets deeper and deeper. There are no tributaries here. This is just the life of God coming out from under the temple, and it gets deeper and deeper and deeper—the pure life of God.
And everything this river touches comes to life.
I love verse 6:
And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this?
And then he brought me out to the bank of the river. You see, the prophet was standing in the river at first, and it went to his ankles. Have you been there? Been to your knees? The life of God?
Now you begin to try to get a footing because it’s coming a little faster—the current, you know. Then it gets up to your loins, and now you’re really looking for balance because this river’s moving you. And you’re moved by the life of God, and you’re trying to figure out what’s going on.
And then the angel—pretty soon, waters to swim in. Now you’re caught in the current. And the angel, by the mercy of God, came and hauled him right out of that river. He said, “You know, you’re going to drown, Ezekiel, and you better get out of that river.”
And he said, “He stood me on the bank.” And as I stood on the bank, I saw this river coming out from under the throne of God.
Something wonderful happens, brother, in the days of full surrender. I’m not judging any heart, but I wonder if you’ve ever really laid it all down. Say, “Lord, I don’t want my life. I just want Your life. I just want Your life.”
Because once that happens, once His life replaces your life, something marvelous happens.
I was talking to a brother yesterday, and the more he talked, he probably didn’t see it, but I had a smile in my heart. I knew exactly what he was talking about. I won’t call his name. That brother’s here.
As he told me that he has given it all to the Lord, then he became thrilled beyond words as he began to describe. You see, there’s a day, once you really surrender, that God actually holds you out of the river and stands you on the bank, and you begin to watch.
And you see, it’s almost like—I don’t want to say out-of-body experience; I don’t mean that—but you’re watching God use you from the banks of the river.
And you’re amazed. He said, “He has opened doors that no man could open. It’s amazing. This river—and He has closed doors that no man could close. It’s amazing.”
“I surrendered to the Lord, and it’s amazing. He has put words in my mouth, and when it was all over, I said, ‘Did I say that?’” And you’re out on this bank of the river, and you’re watching God use you.
But you’re not in it. It’s His life. Your life is not in the way of His life. And He begins to make provisions you couldn’t dream possible.
And while all the other missionary organizations are trying to raise money, you’re watching God lower it. And you say, “How in the world is this happening?” He works out things that can’t be worked out. He engineers circumstances that are impossible circumstances.
“I can’t believe it. I said, ‘It sounded to me like a little whisper to this person,’ but God made it sound like a thousand thunders in his heart. How does that happen?” Because it’s the life of God. It’s the life of God.
And there comes a time when that bubbling fountain comes in, and it gets so much that it begins to trickle out, and then it gets deeper and deeper. And after a while, you just say, “All right, Lord, my life—forget it. I’m just going to let You do it.”
And you’re on the bank watching God use you, and it is amazing. And it humbles you to pieces. Somebody else is going to come up, and they’re going to praise you for A, B, and Z, but you know better because you were on the bank. You weren’t even in the river.
You know it was all the Lord, and God is the One who has done it. And, brothers, I’m just suggesting that this is what God has promised for every Christian.
One final thing, and we’ll end. This vision that he had started with a trickle, got deeper and deeper and deeper. The man of God was finally put on the bank to observe it from the sidelines.
Where did the river go? Was there a goal? In this vision, where did the river go?
I tell you, this is so amazing. First, it went down in the deserts and turned the desert into a garden. And it kept going down and down, and according to Ezekiel 47:8-9, listen:
Then said he unto me, These waters issue forth toward the eastern region, and shall go down into the Arabah; and they shall go toward the sea: into the sea shall the waters go which were made to issue forth; and the waters shall be healed.
And it shall come to pass, that every living creature which swarmeth, in every place whither the rivers come, shall live.
It went to the Dead Sea—the Dead Sea, thirteen hundred feet below the level of the sea. It went to the place that was filled with sulphur and brine and salt and death. And behold, the waters became fresh.
This is an amazing river. It goes to the Dead Sea, and then he pictures fishermen standing all around the Dead Sea fishing. What a picture.
And that’s the picture I want you to go away with. Out from under the temple that answers God’s heart, that is filled with the Holy Spirit, comes a river—a river of life. And everything it touches lives.
And there comes a time when God actually pulls you out for your own safety and puts you aside. Your life is removed. His life is allowed to flow. His life goes into the desert, makes everything live. That’s missions. I’m telling you, that’s missions.
It goes to the Dead Sea, the most impossible place, and brings life and makes it fresh. That is God’s plan for every one of us.
If any man believes in Me, I will be in him a well springing up into everlasting life. If any man comes to Me and drinks, rivers of living water will flow through him.
May God teach us this. I don’t know if you’re up to your ankles, or up to your knees, or up to your loins, or finally standing on the bank with your life completely removed so His life can flow. But wherever you are, this is God’s plan for us.
May we allow Jesus to be the soul winner that He desires to be.
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank You that through us You will live, and through us You will love, and through us You will bring reality to the world, and through us You will be redemptive.
Use Your body. Fill this temple with Your glory, and let the waters flow. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.